A TRIP TO SANTO DOMINGO

John & Jane celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary on November 1st, 2008 by taking a mini vacation to Santo Domingo, the capital city of the D.R. which boasts a population of more than 3 million people.
The easiest and most economical way to travel in the Carribean is by Caribe bus, so we did like the locals and took the big, yellow bus. With no worries or hassles regarding the crazy, aggressive drivers, we sat back and enjoyed the scenery during the 4 ½ hour trip.

The Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo was our destination, perfect for history buffs like John.

The next four days we traversed the narrow streets, exploring many of the 300 monuments, ruins, fortresses and historical sites in the oldest city of the New World that was founded by Christopher Columbus (1496).

A monument of Columbus stands in Parque Colon in front of the oldest cathedral in operation in the western hemisphere. Our highlights of the city included visiting the local markets, a guided walking tour with Manuel, an anniversary dinner in the Colonial Zone and meeting with Stephen Brauning of the CRWM and some of the local pastors.

We stayed at the "Hotel Atarazana", a beautifully restored antique building located in the Royal shipyards near the port and right beside the local police station.

The President’s Palace Offices
These young boys also made our shoes shine! Unfortunately, while enjoying the sunshine of the capital city in the south, a tropical depression pounded the north coast. The rains came down and the rivers spilled their banks flooding many communities in the region of Puerto Plata, including our town of Sosua Abajo. Seeing the furniture and belongings of most homes set outside to dry brought reality to a sharp standstill.

We feel blessed to have a safe home set high on a hill but think of and pray for our many neighbours, including Juan Ovalles, (the director of our school in Los Algodones) whose homes were flooded by more than three feet of water on Friday, October 31st.